Do I need preventative shots if I'm going to Costa Rica to work as missionar!


Question: I'll be in Costa Rica for about 6 months in an impoverished, rural community. I appreciate your help.


Answers: I'll be in Costa Rica for about 6 months in an impoverished, rural community. I appreciate your help.

My response if long. However all of its information is useful, and extremly important. It took me a very long time to write it. Please read it. I gave you a source where I got most of my information, and where you can get tons more. All travelers should visit either their personal physician or a travel health clinic 4-8 weeks before departure.

Malaria: Prophylaxis with chloroquine is recommended for the provinces of Alajuela, Limon (except for Limon City), Guanacaste, and Heredia.
Vaccinations:
Hepatitis A

Typhoid

Hepatitis B

For travelers who may have intimate contact with local residents, especially if visiting for more than 6 months

Yellow fever

Required for travelers arriving from a yellow-fever-infected country in Africa or the Americas

Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)

Two doses recommended for all travelers born after 1956, if not previously given

Tetanus-diphtheria

Revaccination recommended every 10 years

There are also some medications I reccomend you bring with you incase they are not available such as; tums, tylenol, amoxxillin, ibuprofen etc. Here is some oter medical information you should consider, Travelers' diarrhea is the most common travel-related ailment. The cornerstone of prevention is food and water precautions, as outlined below. All travelers should bring along an antibiotic and an antidiarrheal drug to be started promptly if significant diarrhea occurs, defined as three or more loose stools in an 8-hour period or five or more loose stools in a 24-hour period, especially if associated with nausea, vomiting, cramps, fever or blood in the stool. A quinolone antibiotic is usually prescribed: either ciprofloxacin (Cipro)(PDF) 500 mg twice daily or levofloxacin (Levaquin) (PDF) 500 mg once daily for a total of three days. Quinolones are generally well-tolerated, but occasionally cause sun sensitivity and should not be given to children, pregnant women, or anyone with a history of quinolone allergy. Alternative regimens include a three day course of rifaximin (Xifaxan) 200 mg three times daily or azithromycin (Zithromax) 500 mg once daily. Rifaximin should not be used by those with fever or bloody stools and is not approved for pregnant women or those under age 12. Azithromycin should be avoided in those allergic to erythromycin or related antibiotics. An antidiarrheal drug such as loperamide (Imodium) or diphenoxylate (Lomotil) should be taken as needed to slow the frequency of stools, but not enough to stop the bowel movements completely. Diphenoxylate (Lomotil) and loperamide (Imodium) should not be given to children under age two.

Most cases of travelers' diarrhea are mild and do not require either antibiotics or antidiarrheal drugs. Adequate fluid intake is essential.

If diarrhea is severe or bloody, or if fever occurs with shaking chills, or if abdominal pain becomes marked, or if diarrhea persists for more than 72 hours, medical attention should be sought.

Though effective, antibiotics are not recommended prophylactically (i.e. to prevent diarrhea before it occurs) because of the risk of adverse effects, though this approach may be warranted in special situations, such as immunocompromised travelers.

Malaria in Costa Rica: prophylaxis is recommended for the provinces of Alajuela, Limon (except for Limon City), Guanacaste, and Heredia. The risk is greatest in the cantons of Los Chiles (Alajuela Province) and Matina and Talamanca (Limon Province). The drug of choice is chloroquine, taken once weekly in a dosage of 500 mg, starting one-to-two weeks before arrival and continuing through the trip and for four weeks after departure. Chloroquine may cause mild adverse reactions, including gastrointestinal disturbance, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, and itching, but severe reactions are uncommon. Insect protection measures are advised.




Immunizations

The following are the recommended vaccinations for Costa Rica.

Hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for all travelers over one year of age. It should be given at least two weeks (preferably four weeks or more) before departure. A booster should be given 6-12 months later to confer long-term immunity. Two vaccines are currently available in the United States: VAQTA (Merck and Co., Inc.) (PDF) and Havrix (GlaxoSmithKline) (PDF). Both are well-tolerated. Side-effects, which are generally mild, may include soreness at the injection site, headache, and malaise.

Older adults, immunocompromised persons, and those with chronic liver disease or other chronic medical conditions who have less than two weeks before departure should receive a single intramuscular dose of immune globulin (0.02 mL/kg) at a separate anatomic injection site in addition to the initial dose of vaccine. Travelers who are less than one year of age or allergic to a vaccine component should receive a single intramuscular dose of immune globulin (see hepatitis A for dosage) in the place of vaccine.

Typhoid vaccine is recommended for all travelers. It is generally given in an oral form (Vivotif Berna) consisting of four capsules taken on alternate days until completed. The capsules should be kept refrigerated and taken with cool liquid. Side-effects are uncommon and may include abdominal discomfort, nausea, rash or hives. The alternative is an injectable polysaccharide vaccine (Typhim Vi; Aventis Pasteur Inc.) (PDF), given as a single dose. Adverse reactions, which are uncommon, may include discomfort at the injection site, fever and headache. The oral vaccine is approved for travelers at least six years old, whereas the injectable vaccine is approved for those over age two. There are no data concerning the safety of typhoid vaccine during pregnancy. The injectable vaccine (Typhim Vi) is probably preferable to the oral vaccine in pregnant and immunocompromised travelers.

Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for travelers who will have intimate contact with local residents or potentially need blood transfusions or injections while abroad, especially if visiting for more than six months. It is also recommended for all health care personnel. Two vaccines are currently licensed in the United States: Recombivax HB (Merck and Co., Inc.) (PDF) and Engerix-B (GlaxoSmithKline) (PDF). A full series consists of three intramuscular doses given at 0, 1 and 6 months. Engerix-B is also approved for administration at 0, 1, 2, and 12 months, which may be appropriate for travelers departing in less than 6 months. Side-effects are generally mild and may include discomfort at the injection site and low-grade fever. Severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) occur rarely.

Yellow fever vaccine is required for travelers arriving from one of the following yellow-fever-infected countries: Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Sudan. Americas: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, and Venezuela. Yellow fever vaccine (YF-VAX; Aventis Pasteur Inc.) (PDF) must be administered at an approved yellow fever vaccination center, which will give each vaccinee a fully validated International Certificate of Vaccination. The vaccine should not in general be given to those who are younger than nine months of age, pregnant, immunocompromised, or allergic to eggs (since the vaccine is produced in chick embryos). It should also not be given to those with a history of thymus disease or thymectomy. Reactions to the vaccine, which are generally mild, include headaches, muscle aches, and low-grade fevers. Serious allergic reactions, such as hives or asthma, are rare and generally occur in those with a history of egg allergy.

All travelers should be up-to-date on routine immunizations, including

Tetanus-diphtheria vaccine (recommended for all travelers who have not received a tetanus-diphtheria immunization within the last 10 years.)
Measles vaccine (recommended for any traveler born after 1956 who does not have either a history of two documented measles immunizations or a blood test showing immunity. Many adults who had only one vaccination show immunity when tested and do not need the second vaccination. Measles vaccine should not be given to pregnant or severely immunocompromised individuals.)
Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine (recommended for any international traveler over one year of age who does not have either a history of documented chickenpox or a blood test showing immunity. Many people who believe they never had chickenpox show immunity when tested and do not need the vaccine. Varicella vaccine should not be given to pregnant or immunocompromised individuals.)
Cholera vaccine is not recommended. No cases of cholera have been reported since 1997.

Polio vaccine is not recommended for any adult traveler who completed the recommended childhood immunizations. Polio has been eradicated from the Americas, except for a small outbreak of vaccine-related poliomyelitis in the Dominican Republic and Haiti in late 2000.

Rabies vaccine is not recommended. Only two cases of rabies have been recorded in the last 30 years. For further information, go to Emerging Infectious Diseases.


Not to scare you but there were a good amount of outbreaks there recently. This si information on them

An outbreak of malaria was reported in November 2006 from the province of Limon, chiefly the town of Batan on the Caribbean slope. The cases were caused by Plasmodium falciparum, which causes more severe disease and is not generally seen in Costa Rica (see ProMED-mail; November 16, 2006). All travelers to Limon province, except Limon City, should take chloroquine once weekly and follow insect protection measures to prevent malaria.

Outbreaks of dengue fever have been reported annually from Costa Rica since 1993. As of December 2007, more than 26,000 cases of dengue fever, including eight deaths, had been reported for the year, ma

I would say the answer is Yes.. I am not sure what all you will need.. But my sister was there as a missionary and they all had to have shots.. I think the water is really bad ther in some places.. I guess it could depend on where you are going to be there.. But I would FOR SURE.. check into it... And don't wait until the last minute.. Some take a little while to take effect.. Good luck : )





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